


The Last Homunculus

by Syalin



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Greed Centric, Greed’s original body, M/M, More tags to be added, Panic Attacks, Pining, Post-Canon, Regaining Memories, Sharing a Bed, Short Chapters, Slow Burn, Trauma, adding tags with each chapter, as slow burn as short chapters can be i guess, bodyguarding, catching feelings, greed and ling have seperate bodies, greed has trauma, ish, light gore?, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:48:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28602447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syalin/pseuds/Syalin
Summary: [ON HIATUS] Deep under Amestris, beneath even central, a philosopher’s stone lay, unused and hidden away. Years after the fighting ended, the stone still lay dormant, until the day of the eclipse came once more, 4 years after the Promised Day had been gone and past. The stone glimmered in the faint light of Father’s old chambers, shaking slightly before flesh and bone errupted from the stone following bright wisps of red lightning that crackled through the air with ferocity, creating a body from nothing, all on its own.
Relationships: Greed/Ling Yao
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooo dead fandom!!! After getting so much more into FMA:B than I’ve ever been before, I decided to make some more fics to contribute to this now small fandom! I hope you all enjoy this Greed x Ling angst fic! And please leave comments! I absolutely love reading comments! Feel free to leave feedback as well!

Deep under Amestris, beneath even central, a philosopher’s stone lay, unused and hidden away. Years after the fighting ended, the stone still lay dormant, until the day of the eclipse came once more, 4 years after the Promised Day had been gone and past. The stone glimmered in the faint light of Father’s old chambers, shaking slightly before flesh and bone errupted from the stone following bright wisps of red lightning that crackled through the air with ferocity, creating a body from nothing, all on its own. 

The bones shifted and groaned as they came to a humanoid form, pale skin covering bloody muscles and bone, black, spikey hair jutting out from the head and a bloody red ouroboros tattoo burned itself into the flesh of the left hand. Deep, violet eyes shot open with a gasp as the body stumbled to its feet, looking around in a panic before looking back down at itself.

“I’m alive...” The false person murmured to himself as he looked down at his hands with a cackle. “I’m ALIVE!”

The man looked around at his surroundings, his mind occupying nothing but static and a sense of familiarity. He’d been here before, but he couldn’t remember where or when. The only thing the man could remember is that he was no mere man, he was a Homunculus. That fact alone as well as a single name in his mind, Greed the Avaricious. The man supposed it was his, and sighed as bare feet pattered against cool stone and metal as he searched for an exit from wherever he was. He wandered for hours, maybe days, he couldn’t really tell in the dark depths of what he figured to be a sewer, looking for a way out. 

As he was searching, he passed by a spot of blood on some metal pipes, and static buzzed in his head, pain shooting forwards, a memory, a painful one at that. Greed’s hand flew to his head, the memory fading in through bits of static. Blood, there had been lots of blood. His hand, turning a jet black and stabbing through a lizard-like man’s stomach. A cold apology, and then a voice. 

“What have you done, Greed?” The voice snarled through memories. “Are you determined to prove you’re a monster?” 

The voice felt familiar, too familiar as it set off a feeling in Greed’s chest, a desperation. He needed to find a way out and find the owner of that voice, whatever it may take to do so. Greed began to walk again, tears pricking his eyes and a sadness melting into his heart though he understood nothing of why. With a sniffle, the Homunculus brought his arm to his face and wiped his tears away, truding onwards ever longer until finally, an opening was revealed to him. 

Light streaming through chunks of rubble, a glimpse of freedom from the sewers. Greed’s fingertips turned a jet black, turning to an unbreakable carbon almost on instinct, his Unbreakable Shield as his fuzzy memory supplied. Greed shoved his arm against the rubble, knocking some of it loose and grinning as he began to dig his way out, more and more light streaming from outside, bright and beautiful daylight, freedom. Greed crawled his way through the rubble, until he was standing proud outside. He was in the rubble of some building, the skies wide and expansive above him. As he looked up at the skies and felt the warm heat of the sun’s rays embracing his skin he felt desire bubbling up inside him. A strong desire, a want for money, sex, power, he demanded the finer things in life, and he was going to get them.


	2. Chapter 2

“So why’d you call me in here?” The blonde said, kicking his legs up on the pristine wooden desk in Major Armstrong’s office. “You know I’m no longer an alchemist.”

“No, but some of the lower level officers have been dealing with an interesting perpetrator.” Alex said gently. “He seems to be a skilled thief, always evading capture.”

“I still don’t see why you’ve brought me into this.” The blonde sighed. “Why not let the officers deal with it?”

The Major’s expression stayed stern as he slid a piece of paper towards the blonde. “Edward, he has this tattoo on his hand.”

The blonde stared down at the paper in shock as he eyed the drawing of an ouroboros tattoo, red like blood chasing its tail. Golden eyes flicked up to meet the Major’s sparkling blue ones with a stern intensity. 

“We destroyed them all.” Edward said in disbelief. “Where did you say the tattoo was again? On the hand?”

Major Armstrong nodded. “Which is why we contacted you. We want you to find him, and talk to him. Maybe he’ll recognize you.”

“So Greed seems to be back.” Sighed Ed. “Ling would want to know about this, does the Emperor know?”

“We have not yet been able to contact him about this matter.” Armstrong explained. “But we will send a letter across the desert once we’ve confirmed it’s really Greed the Avaricious. Until then, we search for him.”

“Understood.” 

———————————————

After weeks on the surface, Greed found himself often “borrowing” things from people, like the tinted glasses he wore or his vest whose neckline was covered with the softest of furs. Currently, he cackled as he ran, darting from alleyway to alleyway in Dublith, Amestrian officers in hot pursuit and Greed with a bag full of money and trinkets. Swiftly, Greed threw open a manhole cover, diving in with glee as he closed it up over him, listening as the thundering of footsteps passed overhead, followed by shouts of “where is he?” and “Damn! We lost him!”.

Greed chuckled to himself as he walked along the sewer pathways, searching until his memory began to spark into static again. He knew these sewers, perhaps in a past life he wasn’t sure, but what he had figured out is where there was static in his memory, there was somewhere safe to hide out. By following the static in his memory, he found secret tunnels that led upwards. Up and up he went until he found the place he had been hiding out in, some old run down bar dubbed The Devil’s Nest. It never failed to evoke a strong feeling of familiarity upon Greed’s return, but soon following that feeling was always an emptinesss, a sadness when there was no one to greet him, to praise him for the trinkets he brought back.

“Hey guys! Your leader has returned!” He called out flamboyantly, almost expecting someone to answer, but he never got one. 

His smile faltered briefly as he set his bag down with the stacks of money and trinkets he had gathered into a pile around an old, dusty, green couch to which Greed flopped over on, his beaming grin turning into a solomn frown. He sat, staring at the ceiling, wondering why he felt so awful, why he felt like he should be mourning someone. Tears fell down his face, why, he thought, why? He couldn’t fathom what made him feel this way, couldn’t figure out why he felt so useless, and so alone, like he had failed someone. 

Static buzzed again through his mind, and the memory it hid was painful, and brutal. Greed’s brow tightened as he tried to muddle through the static, to find the memory behind the buzz. Finally, faces began to flash rather than static. The first face he saw was that of the man with the lizard tail that he remembered weeks ago in the sewers. Bido, his mind supplied. Bido was a friend, a chimera, and he had killed him. 

The tears flowed more readily now as more faces flashed, their names supplied in tandem by his mind. Roa, as strong as a bull with gray hair and a square jaw, his genes mixed with that of a cow to create a cow chimera. Martel, a spunky woman with golden locks and a green tattoo running up her right arm, she had been merged with a snake, another chimera. Dolcetto, a man with hair similar to Greed’s though at a shorter stature with loyalty comparable only to that of what he had been combined with, a dog. His posessions- no, his friends.

A rasping scream tore itself out of Greed’s throat as tears streamed down his cheeks at the memory of their bodies pilled up in the sewers, bloodied and beaten as soiled water washed over them, the killer’s face still fuzzy in his memory, but the swords as sharp and clear as crystal. Greed’s chest heaved with a hiccuping sob at the hard memory, the odd feeling in his chest now recognized as a feeling of grief and despair weighing heavy in his chest like a stone in water. 

Through the choked sobs and shaking, the memory of that voice shot through again, clear and soft it called out to Greed.

“Crying shows you have a soul.” The voice told him gently. “You’re not a bad person Greed, you’re not a monster.”

Greed found comfort in the words, in the voice that spoke to him. He needed to find the owner of that voice, find out why it made him feel so different, why it made his heart flutter so much, and why it comforted him. Greed continued to sob, mourning his friends and hoped the owner fo the voice was out there, if he was even still alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all I have written so far but I’m having way too much fun writing this so expect more chapters soon! :3 hope you guys are enjoying it! Please remember to leave comments!


	3. Chapter 3

Greed jolted as the sound of a metal door creaking open filled the empty silence of The Devil’s Nest, footsteps soon following after. Greed stood up, his Ultimate Shield rippling across his skinas he prepared for a fight, he hadn’t expected to be found so easily. Greed’s eyes widened as a short, blonde haired kid walked in, a red coat flowing out behind him as his golden eyes stared at Greed’s form fearless and unblinking.

“So it really is you.” He said, a smile crossing his face as if greeting an old friend. “Greed The Avaricious, right?”

“Who are you?” Greed snarled out, his voice distorted from his Ultimate Shield and static buzzing through his mind again. “How do you know my name?”

“You don’t remember me?” The boy asked with concern in his voice as he walked closer, stopping as Greed tensed, preparing for a fight. “First off, you can drop your ultimate shield,” The boy sat down on a chair, dust puffing up into a cloud that quickly dispersed. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Who are you?!” Greed shouted, keeping the carbon hardened skin, just in case. 

“Man you really don’t remember.” The boy sighed. “My name is Edward Elric, I met you 4 years ago, you helped save all of Amestris. You supposedly died, and yet here you are, alive.”

The static blocking Greed’s memories buzzed even louder, memories of a much younger version of the man in front of him flashing through his mind. Memories of him yelling about being called short, of him asking Greed to buddy up with him and two larger men, and memories of the short stack fighting fist to fist with another man. Greed held a hand to his head, wincing at the pain as the static faded, yet questions still went unanswered.

“How did you find me?” Greed asked, dropping his Ultimate Shield and sitting back down on the couch, producing another cloud of dust.

“Pretty easy actually, I figured you’d return to your old hideout.” Ed said calmly, looking over a trinket in his hand. 

“My old hideout?” 

“Okay, let’s make this easier. What do you remember?” 

Greed paused for a moment, hesitant to reveal anything to this Edward person, but something in his gut told him it was okay, that he should trust Ed.

“I remember waking up in a big room,” Greed began. “It was cold, dark, somehwere in the sewers, I don’t know. I found the place where I-“ Greed’s hands trembled as he struggled to speak, his heart still hurting at the loss of his friend. “Where I killed Bido.”

Greed’s attention shot up as he felt the cushions on the couch dip as a new weight settled. Looking over, his saddened violet eyes met with compassionate golden ones as a hand laid itself on Greed’s shoulder comfortingly.

“You don’t have to talk about it in detail if you don’t want to.” Edward reassured. “I’m just here to help.”

Greed nodded with a shuddering intake of air as he continued, “After I found my way out, I remembered that I want everything. Money, sex, power, I demand the finer things in life. Then after a while of stealing and just fun in general, I discovered this place, it felt safe. Familiar. I didn’t know why but now that you say this was my old hideout, it kind of makes sense.” Greed chuckled a little as he dried his tears and looked over at Ed. “I don’t remember much about you other than you’d throw a fit over bein called short, and I remember I loved messing with you.”

“And don’t forget it!” Edward chuckled, smacking Greed lightly. “Do you remember anything else?”

“Not really.” Greed sighed before suddenly remembering the voice. “Except, I keep remembering a voice, like a voice thats always in my head.”

“That must have been Ling.” Edward said with a smile. “Boy will he be glad to see you.” 

“Who’s Ling?” Greed asked curiously, desperately wanting to know any information Edward had.

“I’m not at liberty to tell you much, not with so many of your memories missing.” Edward said with a deep sigh as he stood up. “What I can tell you is you and Ling shared a body for 6 months. You became good friends. He was heartbroken when you sacrificed your soul.”

The memory suddenly hit Greed like a truck, static humming through his brain as agonizing despair wrought upon his soul at the memory of the voice calling out desperately to him. 

“Hold on a second Greed! You just told me we’d fight together! Didn’t you?” The tears behind the voice caused the voice to crackle with despair as it spoke, the owner’s face blurred in his memory. “How could you lie? You always told me you didn’t believe in telling lies!”

More tears tainted Greed’s face as he suddenly remembered a face, a mouth turned upside down and agape in disbelief and steel-gray eyes that quaked with sorrow as they fought back desperate tears. Eyes of someone who cared, eyes that he missed gazing into from time to time from within his own body, now free to gaze outwards. 

“Is he still alive?” Greed spoke cautiously through tears. “Is he alive and alright?”

“As far as we know? Yes. He’s fine.” Edward said, patting Greed’s shoulder. “But right now I’ve got to go get those officers off your tail, so lie low for a while okay?” Greed nodded to which Edward smiled gently. “We’ll keep in touch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if this chapter wasn’t very good! This whole story is just a rough draft and I only have a rough idea of where its going, but thats the fun part! It’s like I’m along for the ride that all of you are on too! I don’t know whats going to happen next! How exciting! Hope you all enjoyed and please feel free to leave comments and kudos as well as feedback if you so desire! I wish only to make you guys happy with my fics and feed the fandom!


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a few weeks of lying low since he had last seen Edward Elric, and Greed was starting to get antsy. He had pocketed what he could and headed to Central for a while, but it was hard to not steal things, to not want to grab every little thing he saw. In central there were so many high end stores, Greed almost felt out of place if it wasn’t for the shades that hid his eyes and his flashy vest. His avarice was howling from within him, the onky way to satisfy it being items to which Greed quelled it with food. It wasn’t the most permanent fix, but it was a fix nonetheless. As he sat on a park bench eating some food he got from a takeaway place, Greed couldn’t help but overhear some juicy details regarding some foreign visitors in Central.

“Haven’s you heard from the east cities?” One woman chattered to her friend. “The Emperor of Xing is coming to Central! They say it’s to meet with the Fürher about some political situation with Drachma or something, but who cares!”

“I hear the Emperor is a total hottie!” The friend tittered back excitedly. “I wonder if we’ll get to see him?”

An Emperor huh? How exiting, Greed thought to himself, a grin appearing smugly on his face. He knew he should be lying low like Ed said, but something like this was just too hard to pass up. He had to find this Emperor of Xing and have a little chat with him, maybe steal his crown while he was at it! With a chuckle, Greed stood up and began to walk around Central in search of this Xingese man, his eyes as skilled as a falcon’s as he searched everywhere, but to no success. After hours of searching all day, Greed finally decided to stop looking and relax on the rooftop of one of the buildings as he looked down at the shining lights of the town below him. As he sat on the roof, sulking at his failures to find the Emperor, the door to the rooftop creaked open.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize someone was up here!” A cheerful, unassuming voice piped up. 

Greed turned his head at the voice, his eyes laying upon a rather attractive man, around 19 years of age with long, jet-black hair pulled into a long ponytail and squinty eyes that barely concealed a steel-gray iris. The man wore a long black trenchcoat, a rather flashy one at that, with a black undershirt and baggy pants that were perfect for mobility. In the man’s arms was a bucket full of chicken, interestingly enough. What’s more to Greed is how familiar the man’s voice was, like he had heard it before, but he couldn’t quite place it, until it clicked. 

“Are you, Ling?” Greed asked, standing up and staring at the man in disbelief.

“Who wants to know?” The man asked, his demeanor changing immediately as he put his chicken bucket down on the ground, preparing for a fight. “Oh I see, you must be an assassin sent to kill me. So yeah, I’m Ling Yao, Emperor of Xing. Come kill me, or at least you can try!” 

“You’re the Emperor of Xing?” Greed repeated with confusion. “Hold on, hold on, so you’re the Ling I’ve been searching for from my memories, and you happen to be the Emperor I was hoping to steal from as well?” 

“So you’re not here to kill me?” Ling asked, not letting his guard down before realization hit him. “Wait a minute, that voice. Greed the Avaricious?!”

“The one and only!” Greed said proudly, throwing his arms out to the sides flamboyantly. 

To Greed’s surprise, Ling’s eyes grew wide and welled up with tears, a gasp escaping his lips as he ran at Greed with surprising speed, his arms flying out and wrapping around the Homunculus’s chest in a deep embrace as the Xingese emperor sobbed profusely, his hands shaking as he caressed Greed’s back, desperately making sure that he was real. Soft, supple hands slid their way back around to Greed’s front, running up his chest and cupping his face from below, making Greed’s chest flutter and pound with a strange new emotion.

“I thought you were dead! I- how?” Before Ling could get another word out, Greed stopped him, pulling Ling’s hands down and away from his face.

“Listen, I don’t know how myself, all I know is that I lost my memories, almost all of them except for a few glimpses of you.” Greed admitted, explaining his situation to Ling’s distress. “I can only hope, that we can be friends again.”

“Of course we can!” Ling said, drying his tears. “I’m just glad to finally have you back, and be able to interact outside of the mind.”

“If I had my memories, I think I’d say that I missed you too.” Greed said as he sat back down and watched as Ling grabbed his chicken bucket and sat beside him on the roof. 

“Care for some chicken?” Ling smiled, offering up a drumstick.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Greed grinned, his sharp teeth chomping down into the greasy meat eagerly as the two sat, enjoying the nightly air. 

“Your highness! There you are!” Another familiar voice piped up suddenly, startling Greed and causing him to nearly choke. “Your highness, who is this strange man?”

Greed grumpily turned his head with Ling’s as his eyes laid upon a mask that felt familiar, another all too familiar feeling. Memories of her soon came flooding into his mind, the static less so in these, a memory of him calling her name as she came tumbling down from above, cutting Greed off from Ling entirely as Greed got sucked into another body. 

“Lan Fan!” Ling beamed. “You’ll never guess who I met!”

“Hi, I’m Greed the Avaricious.” Greed introduced calmly, but with a hint of annoyance. “I have a feeling that this is going to happen a lot now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is progressively getting cringier but I swear it’s gonna get better!! Also yayyyy we FINALLY get to Ling like 4 chapters in!!! I’m also writing all of these chapters at like 2 am so it eez what it eez. Please leave kudos and comment if you’re still enjoying it so far!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Heat fumed through the air as golden eyes pierced through Greed’s violet gaze. Cold and unfeeling the eyes stared through his soul, cutting through the scalding heat like a knife. Greed tried to move his arms only to be replied with the clattering of chains that bound him two a pole, the pain of swords stabbing through his torso only adding to his misery. As Greed looked around, he could feel eyes all around him, staring and watching him as he felt himself slowly lowering. Violet eyes flickered down only to see the utter horror of golden hot magma beneath him before his feet touched the liquid, wrenching a horrible scream out of his throat as more of the liquid slowly consumed his body. 

Greed could feel his body slowly melting away to nothingness as he frantically struggled against the chains that bound him, chains that forced him to endure such agony. Faintly he could hear his own horrific screams of agony echoing back at him, haunting and eerie with seemingly no end. A nightmarish noise that rattled him to the bones as the magma ate its way further up his flesh, reaching his knees, the heat so intense that his tears evaporated instantly upon mere contact with the waves eminating from the white hot liquid that shimmered brightly through the surrounding darkness.

Greed continued to stare forward as he was melted down, the laughter of his siblings surrounding him, cutting through his yowling screams like a blade through flesh as golden eyes continued to pierce through Greed’s very being, watching him, and judging him. The eyes themselves seemed to be angry with him, dissapointed even. The wrinkled mouth beneath those eyes pulled taught into a scowl, a hand supporting the side of his face with a near regality to it. In the darkness surrounding the man that was sat on a metal throne, eyes seemed to appear, big and red and judging. Sharp, toothy grins appeared as well, cackling as Greed sunk lower into the heat until it consumed his entire being, and everything turned to dust, to nothing. 

Greed suddenly surged forward with a gasp, the room around him seeming unfamiliar to his eyes as they adjusted to the dark. Sweat dripped off his body like a steady stream, his hands trembling as he held his chest that pounded like thunder, a panic surging through him with an unspeakable force. Choked sobs escaped his throat and it was all he could do not to scream, not to cry out in terror at the visions that plagued his mind. Breathlessly, Greed began to gasp, air seemingly not filling his lungs as his whole body began to shake violently, tears streaming down his face like violent rivers of agony that he could not control as sobs began to pour out of his mouth, unable to be held back any longer.

Soon the room was filled with a faint light as a door creaked open, a shadow of a person standing in the middle of it, sending shivers down Greed’s already trembling body. Greed stared at the figure with wild eyes, panic screaming through his brain, fogging his mind and making him unable to recognize the strange figure before him. As the figure took a step further into the room, Greed felt his Ultimate Shield flash over his body, his claws clacking together as he shook and light filled the room, illuminating the shadowy figure before him. As the figure was revealed, it slowly stepped closer to Greed, stopping as the Homunculus flinched at the movement before a name flashed through Greed’s mind.

Ling.

“D-don’t hurt me!” Greed sobbed out, terror cracking through his voice like a drought. “P-please don’t-“

“Hey hey hey.” The stranger, Ling spoke softly, kneeling by Greed’s bedside. “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help.”

Greed’s wild eyes stared deep into Ling’s soft expression, the shaking not stopping and the breathlessness consuming his very being yet something about the way Ling spoke cleared his mind.

“Focus on touch, on sight, on smell, on hearing, and on smell.” Ling spoke gently. “I want you to tell me five things that you can feel with your senses, okay?”

Greed nodded and another choked gasp took in air as he shakily looked around the room, his eyes always returning back to Ling. “Y-yellow.” Greed shuddered out, staring at Ling’s clothes. “W-white.”

“Good! Good what else?” Ling encouraged gently, not moving an inch closer to Greed.

“C-closet.” Greed said, his senses returning to him slowly the more he focused. “Crickets. Cars.” The shaking stopped slowly, his ultimate shielf flalling away slowly, his hands running through soft bedsheets slowly. “Blanket.” The breathlessness stopped next, air staying calm and stationary in his lungs. “Ling, in front of me.”

“Yes, yes that’s it, I’m in front of you.” Ling smiled, still sat at the base of Greed’s bedside.

The crying stopped next, tears drying themselfs into microscopic salt crystals on Greed’s cheeks. “Thank you.” He spoke softly.

“Anytime.” Ling smiled, standing up slowly. “I’ll go fetch you some water.”

Greed surged forward before he was even able to thing, his hand reaching out and grabbing Ling by the sleeve of his sunshine yellow pajamas, pulling Ling back towards him, closer than where he was sat.

“Stay.” Greed spoke softly. “Don’t want to be alone again.”

Ling smiled gently, settling himself down onto Greed’s bed calmly. “Okay. I’ll have Lan Fan get us some water when she comes looking for me.”

As if on cue, the black haired assassin appeared in the doorway, a look of concern plastered across her face, weapon at the ready. “Your highness?” She spoke cautiously.

“There you are, Lan Fan!” Ling smiled gently. “Could you go get us some water? And maybe a little snack too!”

“Y-yes your highness!” Lan Fan spoke, startled by the calmed situation, but relieved nonetheless as she sheathed her weapon and walked out of the doorway to do as Ling had ordered her to do.

Greed watched as Ling flopped down onto the mattress next to his sitting form, smiling gently at the man beside him as he too laid down, admiring how ebony locks framed Ling’s pale face like flowing water would frame rocks in a stream. Several moments of silence passed between the two, time consumed only by the soft breathing of the two being shared in such small quarters, their heartbeats pounding almost in tube with each other as they shared this tender moment of peace.

“How did you know that would help me?” Greed finally asked after a while, his voice harsh like a rockslide.

“Personal experience.” Ling said with a soft sigh. “Growing up where you’re always having assassins on your tail isn’t exactly what one would call a ‘good childhood’ you know.”

Greed chuckled a bit at Ling’s cheeky statement. “You don’t say.”

“I do say.” Ling snarked back, sticking his tongue out childishly, earning another rough chuckle from Greed’s chest. “What’s worse was my parents simply told me to ‘suck it up’ and that ‘this is your life now’ instead of actually trying to comfot me.”

“My father wasn’t that great either.” Greed agreed with a hum. “I don’t think he ever really loved me, or cared about me.”

“I know that feeling.” Ling sighed, wrapping himself into Greed’s blanket with a cheeky smile. “Which is why we’ve got to stick together, friend.” 

A yawn escaped Ling’s mouth as he slowly drifted away to sleep and Greed’s heart was filled with a strange new emotion he didn’t quite understand. It hurt, being called a friend. But why would it hurt? It was true wasn’t it? They were good friends. But that didn’t sound right. Greed’s heart began to ache an yearn, though he didn’t understand what he yearned for. Looking at Ling made Greed feel like he was flying, like he could spend his whole life by his side. Slowly, Greed finally came to an understanding.

Ling was more than just a friend. He was the only one to satisfy his avarice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mega yikes this one was quite a doosy to write but I really enjoyed writing it. I wrote this panic attack from personal experience and it came across really well when I was re reading this chapter before I published it. Hope you guys are enjoying this so far! Please feel free to leave comments and Kudos!


	6. Chapter 6

As daylight streamer in through the window of the inn, Greed’s eyes slowly opened. As feeling slowly returned to Greed’s extremities, his body waking up with the morning sunlight, he noticed a strange heat beaneath his arm and up against his chest. As his violet eyes lowered down, he was met with ebony locks splayed against the sheets and the soft breathing of the Emperor of Xing in a deep slumber. A blush filled Greed’s face as he gazed upon the soft expression on Ling’s slumbering face. Greed stilled his breathing, watching Ling’s face in awe as he tried as hard as he could not to move so he wouldn’t wake the sleeping Emperor.

Suddenly, Ling let out a small whimper, his arms stretching outwards on either side of Greed’s head before pulling the homunculus in closer as the Emperor nuzzled his face into Greed’s muscular chest innocently with a deep sigh. Small eyes fluttered open, Ling’s gaze landing on Greed’s face, a smile crossing Ling’s face. 

“Good morning Greed.” Ling smiled as he Greed quickly sat up abruptly, his face flushed bright red with embarrassment. “Did you sleep well?”

“I slept fine.” Greed huffed, avoiding looking at Ling’s goregous face. “Did you sleep alright?”

“Awe you do care.” Ling teased playfully, earning a slight gentle shove from Greed. “But yes, I slept very well thank you. Best I’ve had in years actually.”

A knock on the door earned both of the boys’ attention as it creaked open gently. In the doorway stood Lan Fan, fully clothed in her assassin gear, the warm sunlight glinting off her wooden mask. Her eyes glared at Greed, a hint of jealousy in her gaze as she addressed the Emperor.

“Your Highness, pardon my interruption but you should get changed for your meeting with Furher Mustang.” Lan Fan said sternly, laying royal clothing on the bed before returning to the doorway. “You wouldn’t want to be late.”

“Thank you, Lan Fan.” Ling smiled, making his way over to the door. “Please inform the inn staff that I will be leaving soon.”

“Understood.” Nodded the assassin as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Slowly, Ling let out a desp sigh as his hands moved to unbutton the top of his pajamas as he began to undress himself. Out of respect, Greed turned his head away, refusing to look at Ling’s body as he undressed.

“Greed. You can look at me.” Ling chuckled, amused by the homunculus’s actions. “We’re friends, it’s fine!”

Greed slowly turned his head, laying his eyes on the body that slept beside him that night and a flush of emotions swelling in his chest at the sight in front of him. Ling’s body was more muscular than he last remembered it being from what little memories he had. More memories flashed through Greed as he stared at Ling’s body. Memories of good times had between the two of them. Memories of late night conversations sat up in a tree overlooking Amestris. As Greed continued to stare, his violet eyes gazed upon many scars that tore apart Ling’s body. Part of him wanted to reach out, fingertips caressing over raised flesh and ask what happened, but Greed held himself back, a worry seeping through his heart that the scars were his fault.

As if sensing his distress, Ling stopped undressing, his gaze meeting Greed’s distant one. “These weren’t from you, Greed.” He said, truthfulness strong in his voice as he spoke. “These are from assassins, long after I thought you had died.”

“Right.” Greed said with a nod, shaking his head lightly and turning his face away again. “Right.

“You know, Lan Fan is the only bodyguard I trust.” Ling admitted with a sheepish chuckle. “I’ve been looking for another one, but none of the highly trained guards at my disposal fit the bill.”

“What are you saying?” Greed curiously inquired. “What does this have to do with me?”

“What I’m saying,” Ling began, moving closer to Greed and taking his hands into his own. “Is I want you to come back to Xing with me, become my personal bodyguard with Lan Fan!”

“Why would you even want me as your guard?” Greed asked.

“Is that even a question?” Ling spoke with desperation. “You’re one of my closest friends. Even if you don’t remember it you’ve seen the inside of my mind! You’ve seen my fears, my desires, my hopes and dreams. I trust you with my life, Greed. So please, guard me with yours.”

“Are you sure you even want me to be your guard?” Greed asked with concern. “I mean, I barely even remember my past, I barely even remember you!”

“I’m certain.” Ling said with determination sparkling in his eyes. “Even if you don’t remember me, one day you’ll regain your memories. You’re still you, memories or not. And I trust you.”

“Okay.” Greed nodded, fingers tightening carefully around Ling’s hands. “I’ll protect you.”

Ling smilled gratefully and let go of Greed’s hands, moving back to continue dressing himself for the meeting with the Furher. Something in Greed’s heart throbbed, the feeling from earlier washing over him again. Why did he feel this way about Ling? What was their history together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this short chapter! :3 I’m starting to get a small plot in mind so stay tuned for more! Please feel free to leave comments and kudos!~
> 
> (EDIT: this work has been discontinued, I am sorry. I don’t really have much motivation for it anymore and nobody really reads a lot of these anyways especially compared to my more recent SukuIta fics for JJK.)


End file.
